Following the death of a 3-year-old boy and hospitalizations of other children last month, the Australian state of Victoria has significantly restricted the sale of raw milk labeled as “bath” milk, which is said to be labeled as such to circumvent Australia’s ban on sales of raw milk for human consumption.

Beginning Jan. 1, all milk sold as “bath” milk in Victoria must either be pasteurized or include a gag-inducing agent to make it taste bitter and discourage consumption, according to ABC News.

Many of the raw-milk products labeled as “bath” milk are sold in containers similar to drinkable milk and placed near drinkable milk in stores, according to the state’s Minister for Consumer Affairs.

Producers of “bath” milk say that the new law came so suddenly that they are not prepared to make the necessary changes, and, in some cases, are not sure how to change their operations to satisfy the new restrictions.

In early December, at least five children in Victoria fell ill and were hospitalized with severe infections from E. coli and Cryptosporidium in connection with consuming Mountain View Organic Bath Milk. One of those children, a 3-year-old boy, died after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kidney disease associated with the most severe E. coli infections.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized to eliminate potentially harmful pathogens. Children, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to pathogens such as E. coli and Cryptosporidium sometimes found in milk.

A Washington state creamery has issued a voluntary recall of one lot of its whole milk yogurt because of faulty data recording during pasteurization.

Flying Cow Creamery of Rochester, WA recalled the lot of its whole milk yogurt after a routing inspection by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) revealed that proper time and temperature recordings were not taken during pasteurization of the lot.

“The process of making yogurt at Flying Cow Creamery takes the milk beyond the required pasteurization time,” wrote WSDA in a press release. “However, during the production of Batch 70, the time and temperature recorder malfunctioned leaving no record that the yogurt was properly pasteurized.”

The firm has contacted all of the establishments that bought the product to notify them of the recall, according to WSDA.

Affected products are market with a Best Before date of 12/3. The batch number (70) and best before date are located on the top of the container, which is a 32 oz. glass jar with a white lid.

The yogurt was sold to retail locations in Rochester, Olympia, Seattle, Chehalis, Federal Way and Tacoma.

Improper pasteurization leaves a risk that dangerous bacteria such as Listeria or Campylobacter will survive in a dairy product.

No illnesses have been connected to consumption of the recalled product.

Buoyed by the partial acquittal of Sauk County raw milk producer Vernon Hershberger, a Wisconsin state senator is going to try again to make it legal to sell unpasteurized milk and milk products in the Diary State.

West Bend Republican Sen. Glenn Grothman has dropped a bill into the Wisconsin Legislature that would allow limited sales of raw milk and raw milk products, which he claims are recommended by nutritionists and chiropractors for health benefits.

“Unfortunately, there is a law on the books where technically it’s still illegal to sell raw milk in the state of Wisconsin,” says Grothman. His bill would permit the sale of unpasteurized milk from farms registered with the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The same farms would sell buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, ice cream, butter and cheese made with raw milk.

Grothman’s bill, which won’t go to a public hearing until Fall, would allow on the farm sales directly to consumers, but would continue to ban retail sales in stores or farmer’s markets.

A dairy farm that sells raw milk directly to consumers would risk losing their license. The Grothman bill sets up an exemption to that possibility by allowing those interested in selling raw milk to register with DATCP.

The Senator claims farms that register will be under the same requirements, as they would normally have for producing grade A milk regarding cleanliness, temperature, and other safety requirements.

The bill also sets up criteria for clean containers, proper labeling, a posted sign, and compliance with all state rules. As Wisconsin is the nation’s largest dairy state, Grothman will face strong opposition by the multi-billion dollar pasteurized milk industry, which claims raw milk’s frequent outbreaks gives their product a bad name.

A spokesman for the Wisconsin Safe Milk Coalition say it is impossible to make raw milk safe. The Wisconsin Legislature passed a raw milk bill in 2010, but former Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed it. Attempts by Grothman and others since then to permit raw milk have since failed to go anywhere. A task force appointed by Doyle outlined what it would take to make raw milk both safe and legal in Wisconsin, but Grothman has ignored those stiffer requirements and other raw milk advocates.

Scott Walker, the current governor, has indicated he could sign a raw milk bill with sufficient safe guards in it. Unlike most state legislatures in the Midwest, the Wisconsin Legislature meets periodically throughout the year.

4.8 million visitors a yearPhoto report State Farmers Market Raleigh, North Carolina

The Farmers Market still plays a prominent role in the United States. Last week I visited the State Farmers Market of Raleigh, the largest in the state of North Carolina. The Farmers Market in Raleigh has a consumer and a wholesale section. In 2013, the market was visited by 4.8 million people. The market is open seven days a week. You could find 30,000 people walking around the Farmers Market on any given Saturday. Restaurants and retailers buy there, but many families and schools also treat a visit to the Farmers Market as a day out.

The consumer market only has farmers from North Carolina. Farmers rent a unit per day or week. Others (twelve out of a hundred) are there year-round. Remarkably, nearly all farmers have a wide range of products, often with one main product. The market’s organizers try to maintain a balance in the products on offer. For instance, there’s a waiting list for growers of pumpkins, strawberries and Christmas trees. The wholesalers at the Farmers Market also offer a wide range of imported fruit. Special events are held, such as a ‘Pumpkin Night’ and ‘Strawberry Day’.

Owner Ronnie Yokeley of R&H Produce is one of the wholesalers at the market. Potatoes, apples and oranges are his main products, but he also imports bananas, pineapple, melons, grapes and stonefruit

There was a particularly large supply of local new-crop sweet potatoes, pumpkins and apples. In addition, there was a wide range of local fruit and open field vegetables. For instance, you see a lot of Collards (marrow-stem kale), a product that you don’t see at all in the Netherlands. Unlike retailers in the area, the supply of organic produce at the market was very limited. One of the reasons for this was, according to the manager of the market, that the farmers at the market represent a significant acreage, and not many organic farmers have this kind of capacity.

This Farmers Market has been in existence since 1955, and is managed by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. All in all, the market has an area of 30 hectares, a large part of which is indoors. In restaurants at the Farmers Market, products from the market are served. Opening hours are from Monday until Saturday from 5 am until 8 pm, and on Sunday between 8 am and 6 pm.